Press

For the most updated information on programs offered at the Penn Museum, and for online pre-registration (optional or required for some programs) visit the Museum's website:www.penn.museum/calendar.

JANUARY

Wednesday, January 5, 6:00 pm"Great Adventures along the Silk Road" Lecture SeriesFrom Baghdad to Bukhara and BackDr. Renata Holod, Curator, Near East Section, offers this talk, part of the "Great Adventures" series. Medieval Central Asian trade centers brought major changes into the Islamic state. Baghdad, the new capital founded in 762 CE, saw the influx of Central Asian goods, people, and ideas over the next two centuries, while the Central Asian centers, epitomized by Bukhara, developed new combinations of cultural expression and networks of influence. Reception to follow. Admission: $10 at the door; $5 with advance registration; FREE for Penn Museum members with advance registration. Information: (215)898-2680.

PHILADELPHIA, November 2010--Grab a "Passport" and experience the spirit of the holiday season on Sunday, December 5th, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's 15th annual Peace around the World family afternoon. All visitors receive Museum "passports" with itineraries to visit seven countries via seven international speakers and explore holiday traditions from around the world. The day also features a Middle Eastern drumming workshop, Balinese dancing, Chinese lion dancing, storytelling, face painting, balloon art, international family crafts, free treats for children, and more!

PHILADELPHIA 2010--It has been 150 years since the first Japanese delegation toured the U.S. while establishing diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries--and it's time for a celebration! Penn Museum commemorates the anniversary with festivities reflecting various aspects of Japan's culture and heritage on Sunday, November 14, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, during Celebrate Japan!, a PECO World Culture Day afternoon.

This family-friendly event features martial arts demonstrations, Taiko drumming, and a display of the Museum's samurai armor collection. The day also includes presentations on calligraphy and origami, a kimono display and dressing lecture, a talk about the history of the first Japanese delegation, Japanese games, kabuki face painting, and an exhibit of traditional dolls significant in the Japanese festival "Girls' Day."

PHILADELPHIA 2010--A Mariachi band, pre-Columbian and folkloric dancing, storytelling, a Mexican "mercado" and children's games, the making of public mural art, and Mexican food--it all comes together when the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology presents ¡VIVA MEXICO!, an afternoon celebration for the whole family on Sunday, November 7, 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

Walk, Jog, Bike, Bike Taxi or Take SEPTAPenn Museum Offers "Green" Visitors Half-Price Admission"Green and Sustainable Day" at the Reopening of the South Street BridgeSaturday, November 6

PHILADELPHIA, FALL 2010—The City of Philadelphia plans to reopen the South Street Bridge—closed since fall 2008—on Saturday afternoon, November 6. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, just down the road at 3260 South Street, celebrates with a "green" day for visitors: half-price admission to everyone on both sides of the bridge who visits that day--without benefit of a car! The first 100 "green" guests receive a sleek metal Penn Museum water bottle (refillable for the trip back home).

"You can walk on over, you can jog on over, ride your bike (helmets, please), take a bike taxi, catch a SEPTA bus, subway, trolley or the regional rail-just come to the Penn Museum in a green and sustainable way, and we'll welcome you in at half the price of our regular admission to enjoy our galleries and ‘travel the world'," said Richard Hodges, the Williams Director.

Philadelphia 2010--This holiday season, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has packaged up some experiences just in time for holiday shopping: unique holiday gifts that can open up the whole wide world to friends, family, and anyone on a holiday shopper's list. The Museum Shop, the Pyramid Shop for Children, and the new Pepper Mill Café offer additional ways to share a piece of the very best of our world.

University of Pennsylvania Museum, Partnering with the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries, Co-Hosts First Ever International Workshop on Southeast Asian Ceramic Archaeology

OCTOBER 2010—While archaeologists have traveled the globe to unearth the secrets of humanity's ancient past, one region, mainland Southeast Asia—a vast territory that includes Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam—has seen relatively little archaeological research, and less international collaboration. Political, language, cultural, and physical barriers have all played a part in keeping much of this region of the world "terra incognita" to scholars of the past.

Philadelphia 2010—Welcome! Swagatam! Willkomen! Emedi! International students, scholars, and professionals new to the Delaware Valley are invited to attend this year’s 41st annual International Students Reception on Friday, October 22, 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The welcome reception is held in the majestic Chinese Rotunda at the Penn Museum, 3260 South Street on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.

Penn Museum Williams Director Richard Hodges sums up the reception experience, "Each year this event reminds me of the great vibrancy and cultural diversity of this region and its tremendous network of educational institutions. It is truly a privilege to watch students from more than 100 countries come together, sample foods from around the globe and make friends, forming the new links in a global community right here in our own richly diverse Museum, surrounded by artifacts from ancient world cultures."

OCTOBER 2010—The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is pleased to announce a deeply generous gift from Mr. Warren F. Kamensky, long-time Penn Museum member and volunteer, to endow the position of NAGPRA (Native American Graves and Protection and Repatriation Act) Coordinator. The gift will directly support the full-time staff position currently held by Stacey Espenlaub. The position's new title will be the Euseba and Warren Kamensky NAGPRA Coordinator of the American Section.

Project includes refurbished galleries, a state-of-the-art suite of conservation, research, and teaching labs, and restoration of the historic Widener Lecture Hall

OCTOBER 4, 2010—Richard Hodges, Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, is pleased to announce the start of construction on a major renovation of the West Wing of the Museum's original 1899 building.

The first phase of renovation will include refurbishment of the Wing's public galleries—where a landmark exhibition from China, Secrets of the Silk Road, will open February 5, 2011—and the creation of a teaching laboratory for ceramic petrography. Later phases will add the creation of a state-of-the-art suite of conservation labs and workspaces, several additional teaching and research labs, and the restoration of the historic and architecturally unique Widener Lecture Hall, which will return to its original function as a beautiful public event space after several decades of use as a behind-the-scenes preparation area for exhibitions. The addition of climate control throughout the Wing, together with replacement of the windows with historically accurate but airtight and energy efficient versions, will significantly enhance the Penn Museum visitor experience and provide greater protection and stability for the artifacts on display.

Halloween is just around the corner, and vampire hype is in full swing. Ever wonder where it all started? Long before Twilight and True Blood, even before Dracula, there were myths of fanged creatures and fiendish monsters circling the ancient worlds.

Gearing up to present this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, Penn Museum offers related advance programming, from a "Great Adventures Along the Silk Road" evening lecture series, to P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM evening activities that highlight the rich cultural traditions of the vast region once known as the "Silk Road."

PHILADELPHIA, PA--This fall through spring, PECO joins with the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to sponsor a diverse and engaging lineup of world culture celebrations the whole family can enjoy.

PECO World Culture Days, all free with Penn Museum admission donation ($10 adults; $7 seniors [65+]; $6 children [6-17] and full-time college students with ID), introduce guests of all ages to the rich cultural traditions that are found throughout the world--and are alive within the diverse Greater Philadelphia community.

"This series will explore rich and diverse world cultures through food, dance, and fun games for all," said Jeff Gordon, PECO's manager of Corporate Relations. "We are proud to support the Penn Museum and to celebrate diversity with our customers and communities."

Held on Saturdays and Sundays, fall through spring, PECO World Culture Days connect visitors of all ages to the rich cultural traditions found throughout the Penn Museum's galleries and across the globe. Events showcase the artistic and cultural specialties of the region's diverse communities while inviting guests to also enjoy the Museum's vast collections, educational resources, and inspiring spaces. PECO World Culture Days offer visitors a full menu of activities to choose from, including international music and dancing, speakers on various topics, family crafts, interactive workshops, and related food demonstrations. Activities are held throughout the Museum's galleries, classrooms, auditoriums, and gardens.

The Pepper Mill Café, offering affordable international cuisine and a fresh variety of healthy, vegetarian, and sustainable food options for breakfast, lunch, and lighter fare, opens for business at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology today, Tuesday, September 14, 2010. Restaurant Associates (RA) takes over the newly remodeled and newly named cafe, at the site of the former Museum Café, with wall-to-wall windows overlooking the Museum's inner gardens. RA is also the exclusive caterer of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, having started in July of this year.

Diners—both Museum visitors and those just coming in for the café—can experience a wide variety of offerings including soup, a daily vegetarian option, and changing main course items, from sustainable seafood choices such as arctic char with mango papaya slaw as well as comfort food items, and a daily pasta. Hot and cold sandwiches and specialty salads, including a signature mezze plate with hummus, stuffed grape leaves, feta salad, marinated olives, cucumber tomato salad and pita chips, are available. The Shaker Salad station offers more than 26 ingredients for guests to create their own salad. The café atmosphere is casual and contemporary, with most entrees under $7, beer and wine available, and student value meals featured daily.

Water, water, everywhere—it is a source of refreshment, and a requirement for life. It is an essential ingredient for environmental and economic viability, and increasingly, it is at the center of geopolitical strife.

The 2010-2011 academic year at the University of Pennsylvania has been named the "Year of Water," with a rich slate of interdisciplinary programs, including talks, conferences, discussions, a Penn Reading Project book, tours and exhibitions around the theme of water. Visit yearofwater.org. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology joins in the activities with a special display, a thematic gallery tour, and two afternoon symposia for the Penn community and the public alike. Penn Museum programs are supported by the University of Pennsylvania's Office of the Provost. All activities are free to the public with Museum admission donation, or free with a PennCard (students, faculty and staff of the University of Pennsylvania).

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology opens its doors after Labor Day with expanded afternoon and weekend hours, new Wednesday evening hours and programming, and—beginning September 13—a new museum café for visitors to enjoy.

"P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM" Wednesdays, beginning September 8, keep the Penn Museum galleries open until 8:00 pm, with half-hour gallery tours at 5:30 pm, and special 6:00 pm programming that changes weekly. First Wednesdays feature Restaurant Associates' "Chef's Corner"; second Wednesdays are devoted to Quizzo, hosted by Quiztine; third Wednesdays offer diverse World Music and Dance Performances; and fourth and fifth Wednesdays are Class Nights, with interactive opportunities to learn ethnic dance, yoga, drawing, flower arranging, and more. The September schedule is below. Look for updates online at www.penn.museum/pm.

Event Features Music, Dance, Shared Feasting and Ceremonial Passing of the Wampum

PHILADELPHIA, PA--Long before the first Swedish settlers, before William Penn's arrival, before there was a Declaration of Independence and then a United States of America, the Lenape people lived and thrived in Philadelphia and a wide region that included what is now eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and southern New York. The history and culture of the Lenape Indians is an integral part of this region.

On Saturday, August 21, from noon gathering to 4:30 pm, the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania invites neighbors, friends, organizations, and families to participate at the signing of the Treaty of Renewed Friendship at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. All who choose to sign indicate their wish to support the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and to partner with them as caretakers of their sacred homeland.

Penn Museum's September/October 2010 Calendar of EventsFor the most updated information on programs offered at the Penn Museum, and for online pre-registration (optional or required for some programs) visit the Museum's calendar.

Confirmed: Anticancer Activity from Select Herbal Additives Found in Ancient Alcoholic BeveragesPenn Museum and Penn Medicine Research Collaboration Yields First Promising Evidence for Efficacy of Medicinal Compounds Once Employed by Our Ancestors

PHILADELPHIA, PA July 2010—New biomolecular archaeological evidence backed up by increasingly sophisticated scientific testing techniques are uncovering medicinal remedies discovered, tested, and sometimes lost, throughout millennia of human history—herbs, tree resins, and other organic materials dispensed by ancient fermented beverages like wine and beer. Did those ancient "remedies" work-and if so, is there something we can learn—or re-learn—from our ancestors to help sick people today?